[ back ]
Facebook vs. Twitter
Facebook vs. Twitter
I don’t like Facebook.
In some circles, that is a serious, controversial confession. It is on par with admitting that you kick stray puppies or that you hired Congressman Akin to teach a women’s health seminar.
For a generation of young people, Facebook is the essential aspect of existence. Ask a 23-year-old woman whether she would rather give up Facebook or medical care for a year, I assure you that it will be an easy decision: bye bye, Doc.
But I don’t like it.
I don’t like Facebook’s functionality. I don’t think TV shows and restaurants should be treated like human friends. I do not appreciate being notified every time my local bar has a margarita special or half-priced potato skins.
I don’t like how Facebook is trying to turn me into a self-absorbed narcissist. I can’t believe that anyone cares what mood I am in right now. If I am in a foul mood, I should try to get over it. Facebook wants me to broadcast it and wallow in my cantankerous misery.
If my wife gives birth, I can see why people might want to see one picture of the infant. But I don’t think that they want to be sent a photo every single time he does something cute from birth until he leaves for college.
When I am at a fun event, I want to grab a drink, not my iPhone. These days, a party doesn’t even officially exist unless there are many photos of smiling girls pressing their faces against each other posted on Facebook.
Sorry, FB aficionados and shareholders, but Facebook is just a fad. It will soon go the way of Myspace and get replaced by something newer and better.
Twitter - on the other hand - is here to stay.
While Facebook tries to isolate you in your own little world of friends and old acquaintances, Twitter helps you expand your social and intellectual horizons.
Twitter is like a newspaper that updates itself constantly. It supplies factual information about the important topics of the day and average people’s opinions about these topics.
And the neat thing for me as a writer is that I get to weigh in. When the trending topic was #RNCconventionSlogans, I tweeted:
“If you exhibit one iota of knowledge on the subject of biology, you will be immediately escorted from the building.”
and
“I see some big winners here in Tampa! (But that’s only because I caught a Rays game last night).”
To me, composing a Tweet is a new art form. It’s a type of pithy poetry, where I attempt to make a point and make the reader smile in 140 characters. When the trending topic was #DNCSlogans, I composed a few tweets at the expense of Democrats:
“thanx to are support of teacher’s unions america has the most well educated people on the wurld.”
and
“There’s a TENTH Amendment?! Oh, dear. We had no idea.”
Twitter is a tool of entertainment, information, and self-expression. I urge you to set up a Twitter account on your smart phone or tablet and give it a try. (And if you follow me @maxabrams1, I will do my best to make you laugh).
[ back ]
